Bruchim Ha-Ba’im! Welcome to the website of the Center for Sport
and Jewish Life. We are pleased to have visitors from all over the world, and
hope that you will enjoy the articles posted here.

We want to hear from you! Please write us at
JewishSports@gmail.com, with your ideas for stories, to let us know of
Jewish athletes competing at the high school or collegiate level, if you are
interested in writing for us, or
to let us know you stopped by. We hope to see you back
here soon!

ISRAELI TENNIS PLAYER DUDI SELA RETURNS TO SOUTH FLORIDA

[February 17. 2015] It wasn’t so much a case of “whether” as a matter of
“weather” when Israeli tennis player Dudi (David) Sela made his annual
return in mid-February to south Florida and the Delray Beach Open by the
Venetian Las Vegas.

Sela, Israel’s highest ranking male tennis player at the moment
(currently at number 90)

Congratulations to Philadelphia area native Jake Cohen, a member of the
Davidson College basketball team, who signed a four-year contract with
Maccabi Tel Aviv. Jake previously became an Israeli citizen when he was
invited to take part in the Israeli team competing in the 2011 European
U20 Men's Basketball Championships. The Center for Sport and Jewish Life
wishes Jake all the best!

Game 6 of
the 2013 NBA Finals was, by all accounts, one tough game. After the Heat
managed a 103-100 overtime win after being down 5 with under 30 seconds
to go, LeBron James called it “by far the best game I've ever been a
part of.”

What sports legend, known more for his high living ways,
championed the Jewish people when they most needed a friend? You might be
surprised.
Read more...

CSJL Seeks Coordinator in Israel

The Center for Sport and Jewish Life (www.JewishSport.org)
is looking to hire a coordinator in Israel for (at present) a 1/3-time
position. Duties include coordinating efforts at life skills education
through sports, occasional stories/interviews, and creating ties with
like-minded individuals and organizations. Please pass the word along.
Anyone interested should contact JewishSports@yahoo.com for details.

All-American guard and Ivy League Player of the Year Zack
Rosen (Penn '12) helped the Philadelphia 76ers summer league squad to a
victory in Orlando. Rosen is playing for a chance to make it to some team's
training camp this September.
Click here for story.

If America is the land of second chances, LeBron James and
the Miami Heat certainly offer a prime example. It was only one season ago
that King James talked about “taking his talents to South Beach,” and well
before the first tip-off of the season, the celebrations were already
underway. True, the Heat made it to the 2011 NBA Finals, but by the time the
team was struggling in game after game of sub-par fourth-quarter play, more
people were cheering against LeBron and the Heat than for them. Entire Article »

ALL IN THE FAMILY CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF
ISRAELI “LONE SOLDIERS”

There are many reasons to be proud of Israel …
and one thing we know is that the safety and well-being of Israelis has
always depended on the soldiers who serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. The
majority of Israeli’s soldiers have the support of their family, including
fathers and other family members who served in the past and can help guide
them through the process. But there are over 5,000 so-called “lone soldiers”
(hayalim bodedim), i.e., soldiers who have no family in Israel (such as
those who immigrated alone from places like Ethiopia, Russia, the USA and
Canada) – as well as individuals who come from dysfunctional families
(perhaps the father is in prison and the mother unable to care for the
family) – and for whom the army represents a second chance to succeed in
life. These soldiers have no family to support them during their time in the
Army.

The CENTER FOR SPORT AND JEWISH LIFE has mounted the ALL IN THE FAMILY
CAMPAIGN CAMPAIGN
with the aim of supporting the following two organizations that serve lone
soldiers:

1. Beit Kobi (Kobi’s House), established in memory of Sergeant Kobi Ichelbom,
a combat officer who fell during combat in 2002. Beit Kobi runs three
apartments outside of Tel Aviv for lone soldiers who serve in the elite
Givati Brigade and who otherwise would have no place to go. (See
www.Kobi.org.il or
www.Kobi.idus.co.il/page_Projects). Beit Kobi volunteers also fill in as
“surrogate family members” to attend soldiers’ swearing-in ceremonies during
basic training, and their beret ceremonies at the end of basic training.

2. The Lone Soldier Center (www.lonesoldiercenter.org),
established in memory of Michael Levin, who made aliya from Philadelphia as
a lone soldier, serving as a paratrooper and falling in the same Hizbollah
stronghold where Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev had been taken captive just
two weeks earlier in the summer of 2006. The Lone Soldier Center provides
programs for lone soldiers, including pre-induction mental and physical
training, adoptive families, Shabbat and holiday dinners, hikes and other
social events – and also makes sure there is someone to be with each lone
soldier at such events as their swearing-in ceremony at the start of basic
training and their beret ceremony at the conclusion of basic training.

Our plan is to split the funds we are able to raise equally among the two
organizations. We are asking you to donate $18 (chai) – more if you can. Our
campaign will run from Passover (which begins on Friday night April 6) until
Israel Independence Day (Thursday, April 26).

You can send your donation payable to the Center for Sport and Jewish Life
to the Center at 255 NE 3rd Avenue, Suite 408, Delray Beach, FL 33444 – or
make a donation via PayPal to
JewishSports@Yahoo.com.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SENIOR GUARD ZACK ROSEN
UP FOR NCAA SENIOR CLASS AWARD

Let's all show some love for Penn senior guard
Zack Rosen... who is up for the Lowe's Senior Class award. A great team
leader and a great guy! Go to
http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/ You can vote once a
day on each of the Lowe's site and the Facebook site from now till March 18.
No disrespect to the other worthy candidates but Zack is surely the most
deserving!!!

SHARE HANUKKAH WITH THOSE IN NEED

In
the spirit of Hanukkah – a time of bringing light to the a sometimes dark
world – and remember those who fought (and fighht) for our freedom – the
Center for Sport and Jewish Life is appealing to Jewish athletes and others
to make a donation to support any or all of the following:

1.
ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES LONE SOLDIERS PROGRAM which provides financial aid
and holiday packages to soldiers serving in the Israeli army who are without
family in Israel. Of the 5000 lone soldiers, about half come from outside of
Israel, and about 1/3 serve in combat units.

2.
WOUNDED WARRIORS PROJECT ODYSSEY:
Helps returning U.S. veterans who struggle with Post Combat Stress though a
1-3 day rehabilitative outdoor retreat in which group activities and
discussions help point the way to further healing opportunities.

3.
WOUNDED WARRIORS PHYSICAL RECOVERY:
Provides recreation, adaptive sports and fitness programs to help wounded
American soldiers adjust to life after injury, helping veterans to gain
confidence and independence, while adapting to life after injury.

YOUR GIFT OF "CHAI" ($18) OR ANY AMOUNT IS A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION.

Congratulations to Avi Kigel, head coach of the Division 2 Barry
University women’s tennis team, who led his squad to their first ever NCAA
National Championship. After a rain delay which sidelined play for a day,
the Barry women defeated Sunshine State Conference rival Lynn University,
winning one doubles match and four singles matches to claim the school’s
ninth national championship since 1989.

Kigel, a native of Rehovot, Israel, told JewishSport.org, “We are on
cloud nine!” Kigel, who is in his third year at the helm, spent four years
previously as the team’s assistant coach and four years as an assistant
coach at Davidson University in North Carolina. In 2010 the Barry women had
a perfect 8-0 record in conference play, a 24-4 overall record, and made it
to the national tournament, and Kigel was named South Region Coach of the
Year.

NEW FEATURE on JEWISHSPORT.ORG: Health
and Fitness

It may be “a small, small world” at Disneyworld, but many of the nations represented at another Disney park – EPCOT – suggest otherwise. Both the United States and Israel are among the ten fattest nations, as reported in a recent study by the World Health Organization.

With this in mind, the Center for Sport and Jewish Life announces a new feature – the Health and Fitness Corner. With the help of our advisory panel and others, we will feature articles dealing with nutrition, fitness, and personal/spiritual well-being.

Stay tuned … (By the way, the Hebrew word for “fitness” is… kosher – most large hotels in the country have a “hadar kosher” – a fitness room.) See article...

Receive updates regarding Jewish and Israeli athletes competing in the U.S.,
Israel, and around the world... Go to the "Center for Sport and Jewish Life"
page on Facebook and sign up as a fan. Updates weekly!

Across the country, hundreds and thousands of people are
stepping up in a new spirit of volunteerism, a kind of re-incarnation of
President Kennedy’s inaugural exhortation that we ask not what our country
can do for us, but what we can do for others. The Center for Sport
and Jewish Life is issuing the call to athletes and others to join our
initiative!

Would YOU like to write for the Center for
Sport and Jewish Life?

The Center for Sport and Jewish Life is looking for writers interested in
writing for us (interviews, etc.) and younger writers (ages 12-17) to write
for our teen page. If you are interested, please write us at info@csjl.org.

OMRI CASSPI: LE’SHANAH HA-BA’AH … IN THE PLAYOFFS

Last year, Sacramento Kings rookie Omri Casspi was celebrating Yom
HaAtzma’ut with friends and family in Israel. One year later, Omri has
completed a whirlwind year having realized his dream of playing in the NBA.
But just as surely as we recite at the Passover seder, (recalling Egyptian
bondage and holding out promise for the future) “This year we are slaves.
Next year may we be free people,” Casspi must be reciting his own wishes
that “This year I played in the NBA; next year hopefully in the playoffs!”).
Entire Article »

Remembering Israel's Defenders - The
Fallen Striker by Uzi Dann

Each year on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day, the
country observes Yom HaZikkaron, the Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen
soldiers. This observance, immediately – and intentionally – followed by Yom
HaAtzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day, is a similarly solemn day, given over
to remembering those who gave their lives during Israel’s battles and
military campaigns to achieve statehood and vigilantly maintain secure
borders. In 2010, Israel observes Yom HaZikkaron on April 19, and Yom
HaAtzma’ut on April 20. Writing in the daily Ha’Aretz, Uzi Dann recalled a
fallen Israeli sportsman. Entire Article »

ZACK ROSEN: THE FIGHTING QUAKER

Some readers may recall the movie Friendly Persuasion, starring Gary Cooper,
about the Quaker who wouldn’t fight during the Civil War. Philadelphia being a town where some of
your best Jews are Friends (as the saying goes), one modern day Quaker is
the embodiment of the fighting spirit. Well… Quaker by team affiliation, Jew
by personal commitment.
Click
for article

HELP THE PEOPLE OF HAITI VIA JEWISH/ISRAELI
ORGANIZATIONS

If you saw NBC Nightly News on Tuesday night you couldn’t help but
feel a great deal of pride to see the report of how Israel dispatched two
jumbo jets to Haiti immediately after last week’s disaster – one full of
medical supplies and equipment, the other with medical personnel. The
Israeli presence represents not only best example of Jewish sensitivity to
the suffering of others, but also the most advanced high tech medical
equipment, enabling the Israel medical team to see and treat a vast number
of individuals in an efficient way and be able to share diagnoses with
experts around the world in cases where consultation is needed.
THIS CALL IS FOR
ALL VISITORS TO THIS WEBSITE who want to respond as a group to make a
combined contribution...

Olympic record restored to 95 year old Jewish woman
after 73 years

Germany has restored the 1936 high jump record to a 95-year-old New York

woman who was kicked off the Nazi Olympic team because she was Jewish.

University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is finally
going to fulfill his dream of visiting Israel, when Pearl will coach the
U.S. men’s team in the upcoming Maccabiah Games, which will take place in
mid-July.

“I had always planned after high school to go to Israel,” Pearl told
JewishSport.org... Entire Article »

Seth Davis: The Rashi of College Basketball

Rashi (aka Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, 1040-1105) was the foremost Biblical
commentator of medieval times. Known for his commentating on the college
hoop scene, Seth Davis is similarly adept at exploring and explaining the
nuances of the annual quest for that “one magic moment” known as the Final
Four. Fresh from his TV duties, and having recently completed his book, When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball, about
the 1979 pairing of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Seth took time to talk
with JewishSport.org. Here
is what he had to say...

Gail Brodsky: Tennis Up-and-Comer

While most 17-year-olds are busy making spring plans for their prom, Gail
Brodsky was pursuing a spot in the upcoming French Open. By mutual agreement
with the United States Tennis Association and the U.S. Open, one wildcard
spot for an American player who otherwise does not qualify for the main
men’s and women’s draw was made available through a playoff, which was held
at the end of April in Boca Raton, Florida. Brodsky was one of 11 young
women seeking the wildcard spot. Entire Article »

Israeli Tennis Players Take Center Court in
California

March 21, 2009. Indian Wells, CA - Israel was represented at the
championship finals in both men’s and women’s doubles play at the Indian
Wells BNP Paribas Open, which was winding up as March Madness was just
getting underway elsewhere around the country. Entire Article »

Malmo, Sweden --- It was March Madness – after a fashion. After the second
day of Davis Cup play, Israel trailed host Sweden 2 matches to 3. On the
last day of play (3/8/09) Israel’s big gun, Dudi Sela, won his second match
of the series, but it took him five sets to do it, after two of the three
previous matches also went down to the fifth set. Now Israel was tied, and
Har’el Levy, who had lost on Friday, faced Andreas Vinciguerra. Whoever won
would present their team with a ticket to Davis Cup quarter-final play.
More »

This Andy Went to Dubai, That Andy Stayed Home

Israeli tennis player Andy Ram got to Dubai after all. Following all the
fuss with Shahar Pe’er, who was barred from entering the country and thus
kept out of the women’s draw one week earlier, (and having been denied
entrance along with his regular doubles partner and fellow Israeli Yoni
Erlich in 2008), the UAE authorities granted Ram a visa at the last minute.

Meanwhile, another Andy made history of his own by NOT showing up in Dubai.
More »

Israeli Davis Cup Team Faces Sweden in Empty Arena

March 4, 2009 – Superman had his Fortress of Solitude. The Israeli Davis Cup
team may have their own version in frigid Sweden when they meet the Swedes
this weekend in the southern Swedish town of Malmo which is hosting the
matches. More »

Israeli Tennis Star Dudi Sela: Making A Racquet

Dudi Sela is currently ranked no. 65 in the world on the ATP tour. He was in
south Florida recently to compete in the Delray Beach International Tennis
Championships, and took time out to talk with the Center for Sport and
Jewish Life.

With apologies to the Village People... here's your chance to ask the
experts. The Center for Sport and Jewish Life invites you to ask your
sports-related questions, and we will do our best to obtain a knowledgeable
response from selected athletes, coaches, sportswriters, sports physicians,
trainers, nutritionists and others. Submit your question to
info@jewishsport.org, and include your name (questions will be published
using first names only), location, and if you play or are a fan of any
particular sport(s).

Toledo's Kosher Point Guard

Israeli Naama Shafir, starting point guard for the University of Toledo
women's basketball team, is presumed to be the first orthodox Jewish woman
to play Division 1 basketball, and is helping her team to surpass this
season's expectations.
More...

Shahar Pe’er denied participation in Dubai Tennis
Championships

Responding to the denial by the United Arab Emirates to grant a visa to
Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe’er to participate in this week’s Dubai
Tennis Championships, Jewish leaders and Israeli officials have called upon
the Women’s Tennis Association, under whose auspices the event takes place,
to remove it from its 2010 calendar. Entire Article »

Garrett
Weber-Gale: Swimming to Olympic History

Garrett Weber-Gale, Michael Phelps
celebrate

Thrilling – amazing – a dream come true. That is how Olympic
swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale described his summer at the Beijing Olympics. As
it happened, he won a couple of gold medals in the process – and helped
Michael Phelps win his history-making eight gold medals. Weber-Gale spoke
with the Center for Sport and Jewish Life recently;
this is what
he had to say...

"SPORT and JEWISH
LIFE” Winning Essay

Earlier this year, the Center for Sport and
Jewish Life held its 4th “Sport and Jewish Life” essay contest. This year’s
theme – “What does it take to succeed in sports?” - was timed with the
Summer Olympic Games. Click here to read one of the winning essays: The Attribute
that Most Guarantees Success in Sports and in Life,
by Adina Erdfarb. Check back soon for details of the next essay contest.

Blue
(and White) Devil Jon Scheyer

Some years ago, St. Joseph’s University’s
men’s basketball team was scheduled to play Lute Olson’s Wildcats in Tucson.
A snowstorm prevented the St. Joe’s team from getting to Arizona, and as a
result they had to forfeit the game. To gain sympathy, St. Joe’s coach Phil
Martelli (this was in the pre-Jameer Nelson glory days) commented that
whereas Arizona had players that were McDonald’s All-Americans, St. Joe’s
had players that ate at McDonalds. The point being, of course, that
McDonald’s All-Americans signed to play at top programs.

With 14 Final Four appearances (3rd behind UCLA
and North Carolina) and three NCAA championships, Duke basketball is
certainly one of those top teams, with its fair share of high school
McDonald’s All-Americans. One member of the current Duke team holds the
record as the only Jewish McDonald’s All-American to date. Sophomore guard
Jon Scheyer recently spoke with our reporter. Here is what he had to say:
Entire Article »

Jon Scheyer

In Memoriam: Legendary Israeli
Coach Ralph Klein, 1931-2008

It is with great sadness that the Center for
Sport and Jewish Life shares with our readers the news that legendary
Israeli basketball coach Ralph Klein has passed away at the age of 77. Klein
served as one of two Honorary Presidents of the Center, along with MLB
Commissioner Bud Selig.

Klein had spent the past week in the hospital
with health complications. Three years ago he battled cancer, and had
subsequently been in remission.

Klein has been recognized on numerous occasions
for his many accomplishments. In 1998, he was chosen as Israeli Coach of the
Half-Century. In 2006 he received the prestigious Israel Prize (something
like the Congressional Medal of Honor), which is awarded each year on Yom
HaAtzma’ut (Israeli Independence Day) to a dozen or so individuals from the
arts, education, industry and other realms. Entire Article »

The
Jewish Boys of Springtime

On the Jewish calendar, March
means Purim, and recalling the time that lots were cast to determine the
fate of Persian Jews. For aspiring minor league baseball players, March
means spring training, at the end of which ones fate is determined – as far
as season assignments in the hierarchy of the clubs farm teams.

Two Jewish minor leaguers,
both pitchers, both in their third season of professional play, spoke
recently to the Center for Sport and Jewish Life. Here’s what Avi
Rasowsky and
Josh Appell
had to say about life in the minor leagues.

Avi Rasowsky Josh Appell

Jewish
Sports Center, HaKo'Ach, Re-opens in Vienna

On March 11, 2008, the
Associated Press reported that the Jewish sports club, HaKo’akh of
Vienna was being re-dedicated in its new home in the city’s Prater Park.

Almost 70 years to the day, on March
12, 1938, one million Austrians had gathered in Heroes’ Square to cheer on
the arrival of the Nazis.

Trailing Miami by 20 points nearly 3/4 of the way through
the game, Duke mounted a late second-half rally, only to see victory elude
them in the final seconds of play.

Leading the comeback effort was Jon Scheyer, who played like a man on a
mission. After shooting 2-for-6 in the first half, Scheyer connected on 5 of
his 7 second-half shots, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc. He sank 8 of
his 9 foul shots to finish the night as the game’s high scorer.

Called “compelling and
entertaining” by CBS Sports Final Four guru Seth Davis, and “insightful
and inspirational” by former NFL player and Fox TV analyst Tim Green,
Baseballs, Basketballs and Matzah Balls: What Sports Can Teach Us About the
Jewish Holidays … and Vice Versa

explores the world of sports – of
contests and heroes, of triumph and adversity – and examines how they relate to the
festivals that Jews have celebrated for thousands of years. Baseballs,
Basketballs and Matzah Balls was written by Rabbi Mitch Smith, the
founder of the Center for Sport and Jewish Life, who is the Director of
Sport Psychology Services at Florida Atlantic University.

Four-time Olympic gold medalist and Center for Sport and Jewish Life Advisory Board member Lenny Krayzelburg has never lost sight of his journey to the top of his sport. As a recently arrived teen from the Ukraine who spoke a faltering English, Krayzelburg found a home of sorts at the Los Angeles JCC, before achieving fame at USC and the Sydney and Athens Olympics. In recent times, the pool at the JCC has fallen into a state of disrepair. Krayzelburg, a one-time JCC lifeguard, tossed the JCC a life preserver in the form of a $100,000 donation.

Krayzelburg served as head judge for the Center for Sport and Jewish Life's last essay contest, and continues to actively support the Center's work.

Copyright 2004-2014 by The Center for Sport and
Jewish Life. All rights reserved.